Grenada Adds Two New Sculptures to Underwater Sculpture Park

Grenada's underwater sculpture park has received two new sculptures thanks to the efforts of the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Management Group (GUSMI), the Grenada Board of Tourism and Grenada Seafaris.

The underwater park is one of Grenada's leading scuba diving destinations and the two new sculptures include a replica of the Christ of the Deep which was commissioned by the Grenada Board of Tourism to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bianca C and the kindness of the Grenadian people who helped rescue more than 600 of the ship's crew and passengers.

"It is a fantastic addition to the park and we are extremely grateful to the Grenada Board of Tourism for their enthusiastic support and endorsement of the regeneration project," commented Howard Clarke, the Chairman of GUSMI.

"As the statue looks up to the surface of the water with arms outstretched it is a wonderful new piece of living art for both our diving and snorkelling visitors."

The second statue is of a young girl called Sienna, a character from the book "A Different Ocean" written by a local author that tells the story of a talented free diver who is betrayed by people who use her to find lost treasure.

The Sienna sculpture was one of the original pieces in the park but it was damaged by sea conditions and corrosion. The replacement was sponsored by Grenada Seafaris, a company that operates eco-tours and snorkelling trips to the unique underwater attraction.

Owner of Grenada Seafaris, Howard Clarke, noted: "It is a culturally important piece which we are very pleased to be able to sponsor. The new statue is designed to be much robust than the previous one and should last considerably longer."

Both of the new sculptures were created by the local artist Troy Lewis under the guidance of the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Management Group.

Situated two miles north of St Georges in Moliniere Bay, the underwater park attracts thousands of visitors every year, from local divers, to tourists taking scuba diving holidays in Grenada.

The new statues are part of a new regeneration plan initiated by GUSMI and the next stage of the project includes the replacement of the circle of children which consists of 26 children holding hands. GUSMI is currently approaching sponsors to raise funds for the piece and they are expecting the project to be completed later this year.

Grenada is one of the Caribbean's most popular scuba diving destinations and visitors can explore over 50 underwater diving sites including sunken wrecks and reef walls in crystal clear azure ocean waters. Though divers of all levels can enjoy the sport in Grenada's waters, the region is a Mecca for advanced divers who are seeking more challenging scuba diving adventures.

The Caribbean diving destination is home to unpredictable currents, fast moving reef drifts and deep wrecks such as the Caribbean's largest shipwreck, the 600-foot-long former Italian luxury liner Bianca C, and the newest wreck, Hema I.

Grenada was also ranked as the number one spot in the Best Advanced Diving and Best Wreck Diving in the Caribbean/ Atlantic categories of Scuba Diving Magazine's 2012 Readers' Choice Awards.